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Briefs No Tanks Last month, when the Marin Municipal Water District proposed installing a football-field-sized, 10 million gallon water tank in a San Geronimo Valley hillside, San Geronimo Valley residents said no thanks. Nearly 200 locals showed up at a special meeting to protest the tank, which the water district says is necessary to address problems of storage and water quality for its 170,000 customers. Leading the opposition is the Salmon Protection and Watershed Network, which is concerned that the tank and the construction necessary to install it will thwart efforts to restore endangered coho salmon and steelhead populations. For more information, visit www.spawnusa.org. Bad Pit It sucks to be a pit bull. Generations of breeding for ferocity by unscrupulous dog-fight promoters has resulted in a temperament best described as Devonian--ripping the face off anything that moves is the pit bull's "natural" inclination. Unfortunately, when that anything turns out to be a child, as has happened on several occasions throughout the Bay Area in recent weeks, well, there's not too many options left: kill the offending animal and, before a mass pit bull panic ensues, spay and neuter the rest. To that end, the Sonoma County Human Society is offering free spaying and neutering to pit bulls and pit bull mixes. More than 80 dogs have been signed up since the clinic began last week; the Humane Society estimates that as many as 400 animals may require procedures. At $125 per animal, that adds up to $50,000, and the nonprofit organization is seeking donations to help defray the cost. For more information, contact the Sonoma County Humane Society at 707.542.0882. Coast Is Clear The California coast is safe from rampant development, at least for the time being, thanks to a unanimous decision by the California State Supreme Court last week that found the California Coastal Commission in compliance with the state constitution ("Love of Sea," Bohemian, June 8). Private-property advocates contended that the method for appointing the agency's 12 commissioners violated the state constitution's separation of powers act. The state supreme court's decision overruled two previous lower court rulings. The Coastal Commission, created by voter initiative in 1972, oversees the state's 1,100 miles of coastline, helping to protect and conserve the vital natural resource for future generations. --R. V. Scheide [ North Bay | Metroactive Central | Archives ]